An Evening with Mac Barnett in conversation with Mayor Eileen Higgins

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A book for adults about books for children, a rallying cry for art and imagination, and a celebration of the power of storytelling in all our lives.
Make Believe is bestselling children’s author Mac Barnett’s incisive, intimate, and timely invitation to approach children’s literature not only as an art form worthy of deep study and criticism, but as a portal into the lives of the children. And at a time when we are faced with a national literacy crisis, he champions the profound joys of literature and the importance of reading for pleasure.
What if children are a great audience for art?
What if they are in fact better equipped to engage deeply with stories than adults?
What if humans’ ability to appreciate art is, if not innate, awakened early in childhood?
Well, then we’d better do our best to make some good kids’ books.
Written with humor and academic rigor, Make Believe reads like a letter from your smartest and funniest friend.

Mac Barnett is the ninth U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, appointed by the Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader. He’s a New York Times-bestselling author of stories for children and the writer, with Jon Klassen, of Looking at Picture Books, a newsletter for adults about how picture books work. Barnett’s work has been translated into more than 30 languages and sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. His books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Awards, three E.B. White Read Aloud Awards, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Germany’s Jugendliteraturpreis, China’s Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award, The Netherlands’ Silver Griffel, and Italy’s Premio Orbil. He lives in Oakland, California.

Eileen Higgins is the first woman elected Mayor of the City of Miami. She leads a results-driven administration focused on making Miami more affordable, more resilient, and more responsive to residents. Her priorities include accelerating housing delivery, modernizing infrastructure and mobility, strengthening neighborhood services, supporting small businesses, and improving how City Hall performs through transparency and measurable progress.
Previously, she served seven years as the Miami-Dade County Commissioner.

Trained as an engineer and holding an MBA from Cornell University, Mayor Higgins brings a problem-solving mindset to public service. She also served as a Peace Corps Country Director and as a U.S. diplomat before entering local government. As Mayor, she is committed to building a safer, more connected Miami where prosperity reaches every neighborhood.

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